


a voice like smoke

by MigrantMayhem



Series: death can't touch us, honey [4]
Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Johnny Silverhand Has a Body, Johnny's impressed, Shower Singing, V and Johnny are gonna start a band together, V can sing, not explicit though, why do i keep writing songs for this game guys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 07:48:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29963226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MigrantMayhem/pseuds/MigrantMayhem
Summary: Johnny caught V singing-- it's not unusual, but it's rare that she sings so passionately. He likes what he hears, and decides that maybe, if Samurai didn't work out, it was because he was doing it wrong. V had a message that was worth spreading, and he wanted to make sure it was done.---i keep writing songs for cyberpunk and the idea of Johnny hearing V singing and being like "yeah, she gets it, lets get this bitch on stage" just makes me so warm inside.
Relationships: Johnny Silverhand & Kerry Eurodyne, Johnny Silverhand/V, Kerry Eurodyne & V
Series: death can't touch us, honey [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2196861
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	a voice like smoke

Johnny had snuck into the bathroom while V was in the shower-- had to piss. Wasn’t weird for either of them, both knowing each other inside and out. Hadn’t really been expecting her to be screaming her lungs out in the shower, though.

_ “So take this as a warning! _

_ Take this as a warning! _

_ Take this as a warning, _

_ A warning from the damned _

_ You better have the stomach for it _

_ Because these streets are floodin’ _

_ And the water runs red _

_ From the blood of her children _

_ So put your hands in the air _

_ And wipe the blood off on the clouds _

_ The High and the Mighty made a mess of it _

_ Well it's their problem now!” _

Johnny could hear the bassline in his head, tapping his foot unconsciously. She squeaked on the high notes, completely unique and completely untrained, and he kept fighting the urge to sit her down and teach her how to scream  _ correctly _ , for God’s sake, but she sounded too good right now for him to have the heart to stop her. Her fury was raw, righteous-- but still  _ kind _ . She was still so golden in her youth, so  _ naive _ , but in the way that made him almost believe her. Made him believe that the masses could come together, look out for each other, hell, even  _ unionize _ . Fuck, didn’t matter how long she stayed in Night City, it seemed-- she was always gonna be a Nomad.

He tucked himself back into his pants and moved to wash his hands, idea forming in his head. V reached the bridge of her new song without hesitation-- Johnny could see in her mind, she didn’t even know what she was going to say next, but she couldn’t stop. The song’s momentum carried her on.

_ “So put your chin up, Samurai _

_ We’ve got a tower to burn _

_ And if I disappear, I’ll tell ya tonight _

_ It wasn’t an accident _

_ It wasn’t a suicide!” _

“ _ Fuck _ , V,” Johnny breathed into a laugh, feeling goosebumps prickle over his arms, “That’s a raw line. Write that shit down.” He grinned, and heard her squeak a little at the interruption-- so lost in her own world she hadn’t realized he was there.

“Wait--  _ wait  _ what did I say?” She muttered, voice croaky from screaming, and he laughed aloud at her panic.

“ _ Christ _ , you’re such a scatterbrain.”

“I can’t  _ help  _ it-- What did I say? Johnny!” She hollered after him as he left, snatching his phone off of the coffee table.

He flipped through his contacts until he saw Kerry’s name.

The phone rang, dialtone humming in his ear while he watched V’s form through the mottled glass. She stared at him quizzically from around it, before actually rinsing herself off.

“Hey, Ker, got a favor to ask.”

“Fuckin’ course you do, not even a ‘how are ya,’” Kerry complained, but Johnny simply grinned as he watched V shoot him withering glances, “Sure, shoot.”

“This is important, promise,” He smirked, “When’s your next gig in NC?”

“Fuckin’ hell, Johnny-- you wanna be my fuckin’ opener? I’m not risking a tragedy--”

“Nah, not me,” V turned off the water, fumbling for a towel as she stared silent daggers at him,  _ Don’t you  _ fucking  _ do it,  _ She cursed at him mentally. But she was entirely too slow, because the words were already out of his mouth, “Did you know our favorite little merc could  _ sing _ ?”

“What-- Johnny,” Kerry’s voice turned scolding, “If this is some kind of elaborate prank on V I’m not gonna participate--”

“No, no, she’s really fuckin’ talented. Got some shit that needs sayin’, message that needs spreadin’.” Johnny stepped back on the couch, adding more inches to his height advantage as V struggled to reach for the phone.

“What the  _ fuck  _ are you doing?” V shrieked, voice shrill like a little girl, “Johnny,  _ Johnny! _ ”

He simply laughed, holding her out of arm’s reach-- and he was starting to understand what Esquerdo Certo was talking about when he said he knew where he was going to hit before he could hit himself. Every move V tried to use to wriggle out of his grasp was easily evaded.

“Swear to God, you two,” Kerry  _ tsked _ on the other end of the phone, “I’ll want to listen to her before I invite her to open for me. Could get me in serious trouble, fuckin’ around with unliscenced musicians.”

“But you’ll do it?”

“I’ll  _ consider  _ it. Meet me here next week. Consider it an audition.”

“Kerry, I could kiss you, man.”

“Don’t fuckin’ joke like that, Johnny. See you then.”

“See you then.”

He hung up, before grinning smugly at the wild, seething V. He let go of her, laughing at how cute she was when she was mad-- nose scrunched up, lips pursed in that tight line, limbs tight as fuckin’ guitar strings. He dropped the phone onto the couch and V punched him in the arm, hard enough that he’d definitely have a bruise there.

“Ow!” He complained, “I’m doin’ you a favor and  _ this  _ is how you repay me?”

“What the  _ fuck  _ did you just set me up for? Johnny?!” She shrieked, nerves showing in her voice.

“C’mon, we both know you’d love the rush of being on-stage. Been dreaming of it ever since I got chipped into your mind-- being up there in my place. This is the chance you’ve been waiting for.”

“Johnny, I don’t  _ know what I’m doing _ . As you’ve pointed out every time I play, I can’t even play fuckin’  _ guitar _ right. How the fuck do you think I’m gonna get up on fuckin’ stage and play for  _ Kerry fucking Eurodyne _ ’s audience?!”

"I'll help you, then."

"You'll  _ what _ ?" She asked, and he still couldn't believe she was surprised by every one of his kindnesses.

"I'll help you practice. Get your shit in order, if you're so worried about impressing Kerry. Hell, you already impressed  _ me _ , a living music legend, what more do you want?"

She seemed to pause, still weighing whether or not this was just some elaborate scheme. But the fact remained-- he was impressed by her passion. He had never said such in so many words, but he assumed she knew. Judging by the slow softening of her expression, it was clearly dawning on her that that is what this arrangement meant. 

But despite her soft surprise, and the warmth spreading in her chest, she continued her outrage.

“Yeah, well, you were out of the game for a while, meanwhile Kerry’s been churnin’ out songs left and right for  _ seventy fucking years _ . Do you know how much pressure that is?”

“It’s an opening act--” He rolled his eyes, “You just get the crowd warmed up. At best, a few people get your song stuck in their head. At worst, no one remembers you.”

“At  _ worst _ , I make an ass out of Kerry, fuck up his career, I dunno-- set the place on fucking fire? Maybe I’ll get shot on stage! Who fucking knows!”

“For fuck’s sake, V--” Johnny shook his head, “It’s not that deep.”

“Maybe for  _ you! _ ” V squeaked, “I’ve never done this before! I don’t have your charm, your confidence or your fucking voice! I can’t ensnare the crowd with a wink like you fuckin’ could, Johnny.”

“You got somethin’ better,” He spoke, sincerely, “Heart. Soul. And you’re more stubborn than Rogue. Like I told Kerry, I’m hearing what you’re saying and I like it. Think the world oughta hear it, too.”

V wrapped her arms around her shoulders, hugging the towel tightly to her body. “...You really think so?” 

Johnny couldn’t help but smile-- a side of V rarely anyone got to see. She was a badass merc; cheated death twice, made a hobby of stealing from Arasaka, raised the fuckin’ dead, could basically kill with a look. The whole city knew of her-- if not her name, her rep. Hell, he’d seen her remove a scav’s head with nothing but her bare hands and an old rusty wire. And yet, she stood, modestly hiding behind a towel, face red at the implication of an  _ audition  _ of all things--  _ shy _ ,  _ nervous, small _ .

He could get a fuckin’ BD of this moment, let people play it out with all their senses, and they still wouldn’t fuckin’ believe him.

_ Course I do, V _ , he thought, but he didn’t say that. “Goddamn, V, you care that much what I think?” He laughed instead, shaking his head as he walked away.

He looked back at her, just to watch that innocent, soul-bearing look shift into frustration-- the way her nose wrinkled up, eyes squinted, hands balled into fists like a brat on the verge of a tantrum. She always looked so pissed when he caught her being vulnerable. 

“Fuck off, Johnny” She rolled her eyes, going to put clothes on. He shamelessly checked her out as she did so.

“C’mere,” He called, beckoning her over to where he sat at her desk, projecting his filthy thoughts to her, “Got a seat for ya.”

She simply looked over her shoulder, “Oh  _ fuck _ , no. You think I’m gonna let you dock after that stunt you just pulled?”

He smirked, standing up at walking over to her, hands trailing over her soft skin, feeling the way she shivered under his touch. He placed a hot kiss under her earlobe, moving down her throat as he felt her initial resistance and anger break and fade. He knew her too well, knew what was in her head, and he knew that regardless of how much she wanted to “punish” him for his bad behavior, she wanted to ride his face as much as he wanted her to. She groaned softly.

“C’mon, sweetheart,” He breathed, “Wanna make it up to you.”

He hummed against her throat, before her final mental block broke.

“Fine,  _ fuck _ \-- you’re lucky you’re hot.”

He smirked, chuckling darkly, “If I had an eddie for every time someone told me that…”

“Shut up and lay down before I change my mind,” She grumbled, making him laugh aloud.

“Fine, fine.”

**Author's Note:**

> that "wait, what did i say?" thing happens to me all the time. idk if anyone else has this problem or if it's the adhd but i'll just start saying things and be like "wait goddamnit what did i say"


End file.
